Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: NHL DraftKings Strategy for April 4

An action-packed slate of 13 games in the NHL on Saturday marks not only a golden opportunity for DraftKings owners to cash in but one of the last opportunities to do so.

Believe it or not, it's the second-to-last Saturday of the regular season and just the third-to-last day that has double-digit games on tap. In order to correctly assemble your roster with the right sampling of high-value sleepers and top-dollar studs, here's a look at the highest salaries for Saturday, as well as some smart moves to make.

Pos.	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3
C	Tyler Seguin ($9,000)	John Tavares ($8,800)	Logan Couture ($8,600)
W	Alex Ovechkin ($9,500)	Jamie Benn ($8,900)	Rick Nash ($8,400)
D	Erik Karlsson ($7,800)	Brent Burns ($7,100)	Roman Josi ($6,600)
G	Henrik Lundqvist ($9,300)	Devan Dubnyk ($9,000)	Tuukka Rask ($8,900)

C Derick Brassard, New York Rangers (OPRK 18th, FPPG 3.2): $4,900

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Having already made 2014-15 the best season of his career, Rangers center Derick Brassard is just one goal away from matching last season's career-high tally of 18. He's riding a three-game points streak—two of which included goals—heading into a most favorable matchup.

New York hosts a New Jersey Devils crew that has lost five straight games, and for all of the Devils' success against wingers—No. 1 in opposing points—they allow more points from centers than 17 other teams. Brassard's offensive output will be on full display with the Rangers looking to make it a clean regular-season sweep of their hapless neighbors.

Finding someone such as Brassard this cheap against this type of an opponent feels like easy money.

W Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks (OPRK 30th, FPPG 3.2): $6,000

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

As the seasoned San Jose Sharks eye a late run to the playoffs, Patrick Marleau has been stepping up in a huge way. He has notched at least a point in five of his last six games—a span that includes his two-assist performance against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.

After Friday's win, Marleau and co. turn around Saturday to face the Coyotes again. As the Sharks look to peak in the final stretch of the regular season, they will benefit from facing an Arizona team that has lost 11 of its last 13 games. Like he's known to be, Marleau will be on the creating end of many San Jose chances.

D Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings (OPRK 20th, FPPG 3.4): $5,300

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Noticing a trend here? Late in the season, those playoff-seasoned teams fighting for postseason spots are typically the most dangerous. The Los Angeles Kings once again fall into that category, having won four of six and coming off an 8-2 drubbing of Edmonton on Thursday.

After scoring and adding a helper in that game, defenseman Drew Doughty is bound for another offensive explosion. Thursday saw him break a near two-month goal drought, but with an assist almost every other game and a team lead in ice time, Doughty will have his opportunities to impact the scoring.

G Alex Stalock, San Jose Sharks (OPRK 30th, FPPG 3.4): $7,300

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Picking a backup goaltender in daily fantasy can be tricky, but the San Jose Sharks' quick turnaround from makes Alex Stalock a near lock to be between the pipes for the second game in two days against Arizona. Starter Antti Niemi made 20 saves in the 3-1 win on Friday, but isn't likely to figure two nights in a row.

Thankfully for the Sharks, they have a more than serviceable second option. Stalock's last start on Wednesday included 19 saves in a 5-1 win over Colorado, and he's notched more than four points in each of his last three starts. Arizona ranks a lowly 29th in the league with 2.03 goals per game, so don't be surprised if Stalock secures his third bagel of 2014-15 with the Sharks desperate for playoff positioning.

UTIL David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (OPRK 29th, FPPG 2.6): $4,200

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

With the Boston Bruins fighting for a spot in the playoffs, right winger David Pastrnak has been stepping up his game. Of his 17 assists this season, a whopping seven have come in his last 10 contests.

Before a point-less game at Detroit on Thursday night, Pastrnak had notched five points in a span of three games. If you're looking for a couple of easy points with those last salary dollars, Pastrnak looks poised to deliver.

Advanced stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and DraftKings.

Steven Cook covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

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